Patricia Werhane, one of the nation’s foremost business ethics scholars and holder of the Wicklander Chair in Business Ethics at DePaul University, will discuss “Values Based Leadership: Does Applied Ethics Make a Difference?” at the 2003-2004 Wicklander fellow symposium May 19. The free, public event will begin at 4 p.m. in room 903 of DePaul’s Lewis Center, 25 E. Jackson Blvd.

In an era of corporate ethics scandals, Werhane will explore why values-based leadership is essential in business and how ethics education and applied ethics play a central role in making business practices more ethical.

Werhane joined DePaul’s faculty in fall 2003 to oversee business ethics education at the university and to direct DePaul’s Institute for Business and Professional Ethics (IBPE), which sponsors programs with the Chicago business community to enhance understanding of current corporate ethics issues. Her research and teaching focus on applied business ethics, employment and employee rights, leadership and values, global business, health care organization ethics and the legacy of economist Adam Smith. She has written or edited 15 books and numerous journal articles on these subjects. Werhane is a past president and founder of the Society for Business Ethics and founder of the society’s publication Business Ethics Quarterly, which is the preeminent journal in the field.

DePaul’s Wicklander Chair was created in 1991 with an endowed gift from Chicagoan Callista Wicklander, who, with her late husband Raymond, has long supported DePaul’s mission of teaching and its commitment to integrating the study of ethics into its professional programs. Werhane’s hiring marked the first time a permanent appointment had been made for the chair, which had rotated annually among faculty members in the past.

Formed in 1985 and guided by a board drawn from Chicago’s corporate community, the IBPE fosters educational programs and public forums that explore and promote ethical practices in organizations. The IBPE sponsors ethics-related panel discussions and lecture series for students, faculty, staff and business professionals. Among these programs is an annual rotating International Business Ethics Conference sponsored by DePaul, St. John’s and Niagara universities that focuses on business ethics teaching and training. The conference will come to DePaul Oct. 21-23, 2004. Board members and faculty associated with the center also serve as resources on ethics issues to DePaul’s business education programs and the corporate community.

For more information, contact Michele Hoffman at the IBPE at (312) 362-8786 mhoffma3@depaul.edu.